The City of Johannesburg has engaged targeted stakeholders in the creative arts, culture, and sport fraternity on the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the 2023–24 fiscal period to enable broad participation. The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Development, Cllr Lubabalo Magwentshu, opened the session by highlighting the current state, challenges, and viable solutions drafted within the IDP for the sector.
Cllr Magwentshu discussed the challenges facing Johannesburg, such as population growth, poverty, tough economic conditions, water and electricity shortages, informal settlements, and safety.
“Through the IDP, we will focus on what we can do to improve this situation and improve the rollout of basic services,” he said.
Another challenge he mentioned was that more people have become poorer over the last decade. As a result, the City needed to consider population increases, the effects of Covid-19 and load shedding, and the impact these have on vulnerable communities.
He told the meeting the municipality had a shortage of housing stock, which is evidenced by the number of growing informal settlements.
“There is also a rising concern for safety,” he said.
Cllr Ronald Harris raised concern about the community development department not having enough stakeholders who help execute programmes.
“I would love to have seen some form of indication from the community development department on how they are going to address people who are crying out for financial assistance. There is a component that we can’t really put on the balance sheet, and that is the unhappiness of the creative industry in terms of the support they are getting from government,” Cllr Harris said.
Another attendee who identified himself as Mohau said that as an entrepreneur running a tour operating company focusing on the migrant labour heritage in and around Johannesburg, there was unclear communication and designated help desks in the City for small businesses.
“Just to echo the point that was made on the lack of funds for maintaining sites. This has been the biggest challenge in terms of the work that we do. Most of these assets and sites are quite important and significant and have value that can be capitalised on in terms of income generation and putting Johannesburg on the map,” said Mohau.
“I get frustrated dealing with City officials. There are no clear doors in terms of who we speak to. I would love a clear communication platform that we as heritage practitioners can knock on,” he added.
Vincent Campbell, the Executive Director for Community Development, said there was a sense from local communities that there is a huge communication issue between stakeholders and the City.
“We need to address this so that we are always aware of the needs of communities,” he said.
He added that partnerships were key with stakeholders in the industry and that current and new programmes would be evaluated to establish how to make them more effective.
Campbell added that his department was hoping to receive a budget to help them provide the community with the solutions they need.
“We need to understand the needs of all the communities that the municipality serves because there can be nothing for the people without the people. It is also important for us to engage stakeholders because we are joined at the hip and cannot deliver as a department without the help and contributions of stakeholders and members of the community working and living in the City,” Cllr Magwentshu explained.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
26/05/2023